The Border Empire (37 page)

Wes laughed. “Tarnation, I can't believe the soldiers left that. Before we leave Mexico forever, I reckon—”

“El Diablos Pistolas will send one last message,” Renita finished.

“We must be careful, and not become overconfident,” said Tamara. “Those who set off the dynamite—the last of the Sandlin gang—may be somewhere ahead of us, or perhaps behind us.”

“If they're smart, they're ahead of us,” Wes said. “El Lobo and me had to rescue you and Renita from that burning house, so they had a head start.”

The four rode mostly at night, sharing the little jerked beef that remained. And true to his word, a hundred miles south of Juarez Wes climbed a telegraph pole. He sent a final, brief message.

Texas Ranger Bodie West slapped his thigh with his hat and roared.

“What's got into you?” Dylan Stewart asked as he entered the office.

“Look at this,” said West. “By God, the kid did it.”

Stewart read a copy of the telegram and grinned.

“That ties in with the word from Toluca that the Sandlin house was destroyed,” West said, “but there was no mention of Wes.”

“You'd better telegraph Byron Silver,” said Stewart.

“I already did,” West replied. “He sails today, bound for Corpus Christi.”

Wes took rooms at Granny Boudleaux's boardinghouse for himself, Renita, El Lobo, and Tamara.

“Now,” Wes said, “I'm ridin' to town to send a telegram to Ranger Bodie West in Austin. It won't seem right, payin' for my telegrams.”

Wes sent the telegram and waited for an answer. It arrived within minutes, and said:

The message was unsigned.

“We're ridin' to Austin,” said Wes when he returned to Granny Boudleaux's.

“For why?” Granny demanded. “You no give me time to get used to you not being dead. You get the drifting foot worse than your daddy.”

When Wes and his companions reached Austin, Silver was already there. West led the way to Silver's hotel, and they met in his hotel room. Wes performed the introductions.

“Tamara and me, we have no home in Mexico,” El Lobo said.

“Any friends of Wes Stone's are friends of mine,” said Silver. “Welcome to Texas and the United States of America. Walk on the right side of the law, and this will be home as long as you want to claim it.”

“Sí,”
El Lobo said. “Remember the Alamo.”

“By God,” said West, “he's a Texan already.”

“I'm glad you and Wes are
amigos,
Palo,” Silver said. “Because of what you have been able to accomplish in Mexico, there's something I want to ask of you. Something akin to what I so often asked of your father, Wes.”

“Lay it on the table, then,” said Wes.

Silver dropped two coins on the table. One was a double eagle, the other a golden medallion. On one side was the head of a dragon, on the other, the number two.

“God Almighty,” Wes said.

“The dragon lives,” said El Lobo.

“I'm afraid so,” Silver said, “and if something isn't done, this nation's going broke. Do you see anything wrong with that double eagle?”

Wes felt the coin, dropped it on the table, and El Lobo repeated the procedure.

“It's counterfeit,” said Silver. “It looks real, it rings true, but it's worth only a few cents. Best we can tell, the damn things are being cast in New Orleans, Denver, Carson City, and San Francisco.”

“Those are all towns where there are U.S. mints,” Wes said.

“Yes,” said Silver, “and it's a continual slap in the face. But the dragon is involved in other crimes, much the same as in Mexico. Here there is one big difference. You will have the full cooperation of my office and the U.S. government. You won't have to worry about soldiers threatening to have you executed. Will the two of you side me?”

Wes looked at Renita, while El Lobo turned to Tamara.

“I will not object, but I will not be left behind,” Tamara said.

“Nor I,” said Renita.

“I'll be honest with you,” Silver said. “There will be times when Wes and Palo will be forced to work alone. That is the nature of this assignment. Can you accept that?”

“This is mine and Palo's adopted country,” said Tamara. “We will do what must be done, accepting what must be accepted.”

“I can't do any better than that,” Renita said.

“Then I'm buyin' the steaks,” said Silver. “The biggest in Austin. Then we will seek a means of slaying this golden dragon once and for all.”

“Sí,”
El Lobo said. “The
bastardo
have thick hide.”

“A writer in the tradition of Louis L'Amour
and Zane Grey!”

National Bestselling Author
RALPH COMPTON

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#307: MONTANA MARAUDERS
#308: BORDER BRAVADOS
#309: CALIFORNIA CARNAGE
#310: ALASKAN VENGEANCE
#311: IDAHO IMPACT
#312: SHANGHAIED SIX-GUNS
#313: TEXAS TIMBER WAR
#314: NORTH COUNTRY CUTTTHROATS
#315: MISSOURI MANHUNT
#316: BEYOND SQUAW CREEK
#317: MOUNTAIN MYSTERY
#318: NEVADA NEMESIS
#319: LOUISIANA LAYDOWN
#320: OREGON OUTRAGE
#321: FLATHEAD FURY
#322: APACHE AMBUSH
#323: WYOMING DEATHTRAP
#324: CALIFORNIA CRACKDOWN
#325: SEMINOLE SHOWDOWN
#326: SILVER MOUNTAIN SLAUGHTER
#327: IDAHO GOLD FEVER
#328: TEXAS TRIGGERS
#329: BAYOU TRACKDOWN
#330: TUCSON TYRANT
#331: NORTHWOODS NIGHTMARE

 

Yakima Henry ventures south of the border to save
an old flame's brother from a Mexican prison—only
to incur the wrath of deadly Apaches, scalp-hunting
Rurales, and zealous revolutionaries.

 

Yakima Henry has been dealt more than his share of
trouble—even for a half-white, half-Indian in the
west. Now he's running a small Arizona horse ranch
with his longtime love, Faith, and thinks he may
have finally found his share of peace and prosperity.
But a man from both their pasts is coming—with
vengeance on his mind...

 

Yakima Henry left his ranch in the White Mountains
for supplies, and rode right into a bloody shootout
between Saber Creek townsfolk and a gang of
banditos who just robbed a stagecoach. But what
really riles Yakima is the banditos making off with
his prized stallion, Wolf, and a pretty saloon girl.